Mountolive: The Alexandria Quartet

Beginning with the affair of a young David Mountolive with the mother of Nessim and Narouz, this novel recounts his development and career as a diplomat, and finally places the materials previously seen in Justine and Balthazar in a different context.

Clea: The Alexandria Quartet

In the final volume of the "Alexandria Quartet", Darley returns to an Alexandria now caught by war-fever. The conflagration has its effect on his circle - on Nessim and Justine, Balthazar and Clea, Mountolive and Pombal.

Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family

First published in 1900, when Thomas Mann was 25, Buddenbrooks is a minutely imagined chronicle of four generations of a North German mercantile family - a work so true to life that it scandalized the author's former neighbours in his native Lübeck.

The Great Fortune

It was a strange, uncertain world that Harriet entered when she married Guy Pringle. Guy taught English at the university at Bucharest, a city of vivid contrasts, where professional beggars exist alongside the excesses of mid-European royalty and expatriate journalists with a taste for truffles and quails in aspic. Underlying this is a fitful awareness of the proximity of the Nazi threat to a Romania which is enjoying an uneasy peace.

A Dance to the Music of Time: First Movement

Anthony Powell's universally acclaimed epic encompasses a four-volume panorama of twentieth century London. Hailed by Time as "brilliant literary comedy as well as a brilliant sketch of the times," A Dance to the Music of Time opens just after World War I. Amid the fever of the 1920s and the first chill of the 1930s, Nick Jenkins and his friends confront sex, society, business, and art.

Real Love: The Art of Mindful Connection

What is love? Sharon Salzberg believes that love is a powerful healing force for us all and that modern associations with romance and adoration are limiting. By redefining love, she helps us to recognize our desire for happiness and enhance our connections with each other. Real Love is a creative toolkit of mindfulness exercises and meditation techniques that can help you to truly engage with your present experience and create deeper love relationships - with yourself, your partner, friends and family, and life itself.

Decline and Fall

Expelled from Oxford for indecent behaviour, Paul Pennyfeather is oddly unsurprised to find himself qualifying for the position of schoolmaster at Llanabba Castle. His colleagues are an assortment of misfits, including Prendy (plagued by doubts) and Captain Grimes, who is always in the soup (or just plain drunk). Then Sports Day arrives, and with it the delectable Margot Beste-Chetwynde, floating on a scented breeze. As the farce unfolds and the young run riot, no one is safe, least of all Paul.

The Jewel in the Crown: Raj Quartet

In the India of 1942, two rapes take place simultaneously - that of an English girl in Mayapore, and that of India by the British. In each, physical violence, racial animosity, the coercion of the weak by the strong all play their part, but playing a part too are love, affection, loyalty, and recognition that the last division of all to be overcome is the colour of the skin.

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness

In a city graveyard, a resident unrolls a threadbare Persian carpet between two graves. On a concrete sidewalk, a baby appears quite suddenly, a little after midnight, in a crib of litter. In a snowy valley, a father writes to his five-year-old daughter about the number of people who attended her funeral. And in the Jannat Guest House, two people who've known each other all their lives sleep with their arms wrapped around one another as though they have only just met.

The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories

A collection of four short stories from P. D. James, published together for the first time. As the acknowledged "Queen of Crime", P. D. James was frequently commissioned by newspapers and magazines to write special short stories for Christmas. Four of the very best of these have been rescued from the archives and are published together. P .D. James' prose illuminates each of these perfectly formed stories, making them ideal listening for the darkest days of the year.

A Horse Walks into a Bar

The setting is a comedy club in a small Israeli town. An audience that has come expecting an evening of amusement instead sees a comedian falling apart onstage - an act of disintegration, a man crumbling, as a matter of choice, before their eyes. They could get up and leave or boo and whistle and drive him from the stage, if they were not so drawn to glimpse his personal hell.

Silas Marner

This classic novel takes place in Lantern Yard, a slum street in an unnamed city in Northern England, during the early 19th century. There, Silas Marner, a weaver and a member of a small Calvinist congregation, is falsely accused of stealing the congregation's funds while watching over their very ill deacon. Two pieces of evidence are against Silas: his possession of a pocket knife and the bag that formerly contained the money.

My Cousin Rachel: Film Tie-In Edition

Ambrose Ashley, Philip's cousin, guardian, and god, married Rachel in Italy and died there. Jealous of his marriage and grief-stricken by his death, Philip prepares to meet his cousin's widow with hatred in his heart.

Birds, Beasts and Relatives

The Durrell family returns to the island of Corfu, continuing the story begun in My Family and Other Animals. Already an ardent naturalist at the age of 10, the young Gerald lives in an unconventional and disordered household with his mother, sister, and two brothers. Convivial and open, the family plays host to a constant stream of quirky guests. But for Gerald, the main attraction is the wildlife of Corfu.

Rabbit, Run

It's 1959, and Harry 'Rabbit' Angstrom, one-time high school sports superstar, is going nowhere. At twenty-six he is trapped in a second-rate existence - stuck with a fragile, alcoholic wife, a house full of overflowing ashtrays and discarded glasses, a young son and a futile job. With no way to fix things, he resolves to flee from his family and his home in Pennsylvania, beginning a thousand-mile journey that he hopes will free him from his mediocre life.

Cover Her Face

An Adam Dalgliesh mystery. Cover Her Face is P. D. James' debut novel, the first Adam Dalgliesh mystery, and a thrilling work of crime fiction set in the English countryside, from the best-selling author of Death Comes to Pemberley and Children of Men. From P. D. James, one of the masters of British crime fiction, comes the debut novel that introduced Scotland Yard detective Adam Dalgliesh.

Officers and Gentlemen

Undergoing training on the Isle of Mugg, Guy Crouchback is now attached to a commando unit where the ministry whisky flows freely and HM Forces have to show proper respect to the Laird. But the comedy of Mugg is followed by the bitterness of Crete: the indignity of withdrawal or surrender.

Men at Arms

Guy Crouchback, determined to get into the war, takes a commission in the Royal Corps of Halberdiers. His spirits high, he sees all the trimmings but none of the action. And his first campaign, an abortive affair on the West African coastline, ends with an escapade which seriously blots his Halberdier copybook. Men at Arms is the first book in Waugh's brilliant trilogy, Sword of Honour, which chronicles the fortunes of Guy Crouchback.

Rain and Other Stories

W. Somerset Maugham is one of the best-loved short story writers of the last 100 years. In this collection of his finest short work Maugham takes the listener to the sun-drenched Pacific islands where the Governor mercilessly abuses the inhabitants; to the story "Rain", in which the Reverend and the prostitute play out one of the most famous finales ever written; to the studies of chauvinistic Colonels, and snide conversations in Edwardian drawing rooms, as well as at the gates of heaven. As an introduction to one of the greatest writers in the English language Stephen Crossley's reading is the perfect place to start.

The Road Home

Lev is on his way from Eastern Europe to Britain, seeking work. But Lev has an outsider's vision of the place we call home. Lev begins with no job, little money, and few words of English. He has only his memories, his hopes, and a certain skill preparing food.

The Leopard

Elegiac, bittersweet and profoundly moving, The Leopard chronicles the turbulent transformation of the Risorgimento, in the period of Italian Unification. The waning feudal authority of the elegant and stately Prince of Salina is pitted against the materialistic cunning of Don Calogero, in Tomasi's magnificently descriptive memorial to a dying age.

Brighton Rock

An unabridged audio edition of Graham Greene's classic gang-war thriller. A gang war is raging through the dark underworld of Brighton. Pinkie, malign and ruthless, has killed a man. Believing he can escape retribution, he is unprepared for the courageous, life-embracing Ida Arnold, who is determined to avenge a death.... Read by Samuel West.

Unconditional Surrender

Guy Crouchback has lost his Halberdier idealism. A desk job in London gives him the chance of reconciliation with his former wife. Then, in Yugoslavia, as a liaison officer with the partisans, he finally becomes aware of the futility of a war he once saw in terms of honour.

Publisher's Summary

Set amid the corrupt glamour and multiplying intrigues of Alexandria, Egypt, in the 1930s and 1940s, the novels of Durrell's Alexandria Quartet (of which this is the first) follow the shifting alliances - sexual, cultural and political - of a group of quite varied characters.

In Justine, an English schoolmaster and struggling writer falls in love with a beautiful and mysterious Jewish woman who is married to a wealthy Egyptian.

As an added bonus, when you purchase our Audible Modern Vanguard production of Lawrence Durrell's book, you'll also receive an exclusive Jim Atlas interview. This interview – where James Atlas interviews Daniel Mendelsohn about the life and work of Lawrence Durrell – begins as soon as the audiobook ends.

This amazing book, the first of four very complex novels, takes us to the heart of Durrell's true love; the Levant. He introduces characters that will appear in all four works. This is a powerful novel where the reader is expected to work.
Although I appreciate the tour de force which is Jack Klaff's reading, it did not 'carry me', this may be because I had already read the work in print and had formed my own internal voice.
The character of Justine is drawn with sympathy and conviction. The engaging mystery is to understand motivation through complex and partial revelation.

To read only Justine is to miss the excitement and richness that awaits us as we move through the three subsequent novels.

This book combines an really awful reader with a very pretentious text. Part of the problem is that the book has a history of being "great", but it's dreadfully outdated. That might be less noticeable if the reading was not so truly awful. I had planned to complete my literary education by listening to the whole series - project abandoned. I made it through to the end through dogged determination and much walking! But you frankly don't care what happend to the characters and it's a huge relief when it was all over.

Narration was intensely annoying and inaudible at times because of the use of silly accents. A perfect example of the failings of audiobooks sadly.

Didn't much enjoy the book either. The deliberately poetic prose became irritating before the end of the first chapter. The complete lack of signposting or providing chronology is a fun literary device I'm sure, but coupled with the problematic narration and psueds corner prose, it just added to the chore of listening.

This first part of the Alexandria Quartet is superbly read and really brings the characters in the book to life. As a Brit, I would have preferred a British reader, as the author and characters are non-Americans. Nothing racist just looking for authenticity! The language is amazing and this volume certainly makes me want to read the other three in the quartet, have downloaded Balthazar and will definitely buy the other two.

That said i must also inform all those who purchased this title in the few months after it came out in october to ask audible for the version which is now available and is 9 hours 55 minutes and NOT the 8 hour 55 minute one[ only just taken down last week] which is missing part 4 of the book!!!

without the ending one is missing much of the story and would have difficulties continuing with the quartet--which i strongly recommend.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Judith

19/06/12

Overall

Performance

Story

"Durrell and Alexandria"

Would you consider the audio edition of Justine to be better than the print version?

I don't think it is actually better than the print version, but I read that four times over twenty years and love it madly. That said, the audio version with Jack Klaff is quite wonderful. He gets the characters and seems to understand the city and the circumstances better than most. I think his voice works well for this title...and probably the whole quartet as well.

What did you like best about this story?

The slow unfolding of the storyline/plot is beautifully handled and neither too fast nor too slow. I love this because there is a sense of leisure and of the Alexandrian baroque in the book. He is right when he says the city is a character...it affects everything that happens and everyone. This story would not have been the same in another city.

Time unfolds and the plot unfolds in a way which is not usually seen in novels. I love the books because there is time to savor what happens and discover what it means to the characters and to me.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Genevieve

Arcata, California, United States

04/06/11

Overall

"Best book ever written with the best narrator"

This book one of four is considered the best book ever written in the english language. The narrator brings each character to life with voices better than I could have imagined reading it myself. This is the only audio book Ive actually finished after going back over and over to make sure I had not missed anything.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

David

Bellevue, WA, United States

29/05/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"Brilliant writing, exotic locale, great narrator."

Durrell's Alexandra Quartet (Justine, Balthazar, Mountolive, Clea) ranks as one of the seminal works of 20th century English fiction. Although understanding the setting might require a little research for some readers, the depth of these books, dedicated to Einstein's Theory of Relativity, surpass (IMHO) even Ulysses. Jack Klaff's versatile and sensitive narration exceeded expectation.

I'm not sure why the Quartet only ranked as 70th (out of 100) on the NY Times "Best Books of the 20th Century" list; my suspicion is that the usual not-set-in-NY biases were at work. Among the thousands of books I've read, I struggle to remember a novel or set of novels of such stunning beauty, complexity and human understanding.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Marcia

Marshall, CA, United States

08/12/12

Overall

Performance

Story

"Unlistenable for this reader"

I have loved the Alexandria Quartet for years. Durrell's writing is so beautiful that I thought it would be wonderful to reread the novels in the audio edition. I read the negative reviews of the narrator, but I listen to a lot of audiobooks, love the medium, and am in general able to adapt to the style of any narrator, so I was not deterred. But I actually had to stop listening to Justine, because I find this narrator impossible to listen to. His general reading is fine, but the voices he adopts for the different characters are contrived to the point of being ridiculous. I have tried, but I just can't do it. And this is one of my favorite novels, and one that should be so beautiful to listen to. Such a shame.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Allison

Thousand Oaks, CA, United States

14/01/12

Overall

Performance

Story

"The performance was a complete disappointment."

How could the performance have been better?

I loved this book when I read it many years ago, and I have been looking for the audio book ever since. I was so happy to see it had finally been recorded, and when I heard the sample, Jeff Klaff's voice sounded wonderful in his seemingly natural British accent. However, his acted accents have such strong affectations that I found it painful to listen! He slows down, pauses at very odd moments, and drops his voice an octave making it distractingly hard to understand and listen to. All his Egyptian accents sound as if the person is on their death bed- even the women. It is hard to feel the intense infatuation for Justine that the narrator expresses when she talks in such a ridiculous voice!Sadly, I'm going to need to discontinue listening, and I will not buy the 3 other audiobooks, something I was really looking forward to. Jeff, you have a beautiful voice, have more faith in your own voice and use less affectation, I'd rather hear Justine and the other characters as a softer version of your real voice then the voice you or the director chose for her. It currently sounds like over acting. I'm truly sorry about the negative comments, but I hope that they will serve folks well in the future.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Sarah

New York, NY

08/08/12

Overall

Performance

Story

"Just can't listen."

I really hate leaving negative reviews, but I have just given up on this audiobook after listening for an hour. I have been wanting to read the Alexandria Quartet for years, without ever finding the time, but I just can't listen to this narrator, especially the character voices. It may be a matter of taste. Please listen to a sample before you buy and see if you can take it. Audible.com - please see if you can get a version by another narrator!

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Daniel

Spokane, WA, United States

15/09/11

Overall

Performance

Story

"Exotic Mixture of desires & degradation"

A torrent love affair erupted b/w the damaged Jewish wife of an Egyptian aristocrat and his poor English friend, while the living, breathing city of early 20th century Alexandria injects its exotic mixture of degradation, desires, and philosophical reasoning into each of them. Durrell's prose is smooth as silk and sharp as daggers, his characters studies are forthright and bald on which the none linear plot weaves and slithers unto the pinnacle of writing art form.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Julie

19/07/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"No accent. Just read."

I found the accents difficult to listen to and understand. The regular narration was just fine.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Marie McCaffrey

04/07/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"I could not get passed the reader"

What disappointed you about Justine?

I listened for 2 hours, and the story never engaged me. Since I did not finish the book, I can only rate it on a partial read. However, the performance was so bad I could not concentrate on the story.

The main character is read in a singsong, pretentious, and monotonous voice. The female voices were especially terrible. I would not recommend this audio book with this reader. Perhaps it is better on the page.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Different reader.

How could the performance have been better?

Different reader

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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